Rodgers Plans to Raid Swansea Again - Report

Brendan Rodgers is reportedly considering another raid on his former club Swansea City, this time for defender Ashley Williams.

The Liverpool manager, who signed Wales midfielder Joe Allen from the Swans in the summer, is now interested in their 28-year-old centre-back, reports the Telegraph and the Liverpool Daily Post.

Williams was a key member of Rodgers' Swansea squad that earned promotion to the Premier League in 2011 and has remained an integral part of the club. The Wales skipper has made 26 top flight appearances for the Swans this season, keeping seven clean sheets.

The reports claim Liverpool consider Williams a suitable replacement for veteran Jamie Carragher, who has announced he will retire at the end of the season. The Reds are currently facing a few problems in the heart of their defence, with uncertainty over the futures of Martin Skrtel and Sebastian Coates.

Coates has fallen down the pecking order at Anfield and made just three Premier League appearances this season, while Skrtel, who was benched for the last three league matches, is a target for former club Zenit St Petersburg. Rodgers recently admitted the club needed to recruit a new, experienced centre-back in the summer to fill the void to be left by Carragher.

"The biggest thing we need this summer is to bring in some men, some character that allows and supports the other men to see the games out. That is the biggest thing for me. Look at Jamie Carragher, he is our best defender, he is 35 but we are losing that character. That has to be replaced," the Northern Irishman said.

Liverpool have been linked with a move for Williams for some time, and the Telegraph values him at around £10m. Rodgers will come up against Williams and Swansea on Sunday, when the Welsh club visit Anfield in this week's only Premier League fixture.

The Reds have Daniel Sturridge available, after the forward missed last week's defeat to West Bromwich Albion through injury and was ineligible for the Europa League trip to St Petersburg. Rodgers is also considering handing playmaker Philippe Coutinho his first full debut.

"Daniel will be fit which is great for us. And Philippe is certainly in my thinking. He's come in and has needed a bit of time to adapt to a new way of working and a new life. But you can see the kid's qualities. He's got good experience for a young player," the 40-year-old added.